Now Zeus the lord of cloud roused in the north
a storm against the ships, and driving veils
of squall moved down like night on land and sea.
The bows went plunging at the gust; sails cracked and lashed out strips in the big wind.
We saw death in that fury, dropped the yards, unshipped the oars, and pulled for the nearest lee:
then two long days and nights we lay offshore worn out and sick at heart, tasting our grief,
until a third Dawn came with ringlets shining. Then we put up our masts, hauled sail, and rested,
letting the steersmen and the breeze take over.
I might have made it safely home, that time,
but as I came round Malea the current
took me out to sea, and from the north
a fresh gale drove me on, past Cythera.
Nine days I drifted on the teeming sea
before dangerous high winds.
–The Odyssey,
Homer
Who or what functions as a symbol in this passage?
the sea
Dawn
Zeus
the ships

A symbol as a figure of speech represents something that is above and beyond the literal meaning of the word. For example, the sea here doesn't only refer to the actual Mediterranean sea that Odysseus is sailing through with his crew. It represents life and its many troubles and ordeals.

Just like the sea, life is unpredictable and always on the brink of death. Even though Odysseus is trying to maneuver through it with his sailor's skills, it still may prove impossible. Even when it seems that the coast (that is shelter, safe space) is near, the sea still has the power to draw him further away. By using this symbol, Homer implies that life is never peaceful and reliable. On the contrary - it is ultimately unsafe and absolutely beyond our control.